The instant invention pertains to fishing lures and particularly to a fishing flasher which exhibits enhanced down flash characteristics. The flasher also has substantially reduced drag in comparison to known flashers.
Known fishing lures utilize several means for promoting down flash, which is thought to attract fish to a lure. One means is to utilize faceted, transparent beads which will internally refract light and transmit a beam of light, which enters the water and bead from the air above, and which tends to disperse the light throughout the water. Another form of lure is a flasher, or spinner which may have a faceted face, and which will rotate about a line when drawn through the water, again gathering light from above the water surface and dispersing it through the water. Both of these known means suffer certain disadvantages in that the first mentioned disperses a single light beam into many light beams of weaker intensity and the second generally produces only side flashes and is not capable of directing a light flash directly below the lure. To produce a significant amount of light flash, the lures are fairly large and rigid, which results in excessive drag as the lure is drawn through the water and which can, in turn, cause premature fatigue in the fisherman, and which greatly reduces the ability of the angler to feel strikes or to enjoy the feel of the fish after hooking one. Additionally when conventional lures are used as part of a trolling rig a rudder is required to prevent line twist at trolling speeds, adding to the drag produced by the lure.
An object of the instant invention is to provide a fishing flasher which has enhanced down flash characteristics.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fishing flasher which is flow formed by the water as the flasher is drawn through the water. Blades in the flasher thus shaped by the water produce much less drag than conventional, rigid blades.
A further object of the invention is to provide a flasher which exhibits little drag when drawn through the water.
Another object of the invention is to provide an integral structure for inhibiting rotation of a fishing line.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a fishing flasher which is inexpensive, which is easy to manufacture, and which is durable in use.
Another object is to provide a fishing lure which allows the angler to vary the action of his lure in a simple means.
The fishing flasher of the instant invention includes an elongate, resilient blade having a transverse fold-line intermediate its end which defines a pair of substantially equal length blade segments extending outwardly to either side of the fold line. An aperture for receiving the line extending through the blade adjacent the fold line is provided. The blade segments are constructed to resiliently deform when drawn through the water to bring trailing portions of the blade segments toward each other. The blade segments include reflective means on the facing sides of the trailing portions of the segments and, with the blade segments deformed, the reflective means is operable to produce down flash as the blade is drawn through a body of water.
These and other objects and advantages of the instant invention will be more fully appreciated as the description which follows is read in conjunction with the drawings.